The Hawk's Nest
Hansen Community Newsletter
August, 2024
Welcome Back!
Welcome to the 2024-25 school year and our first edition of The Hawk's Nest Newsletter. You can expect a monthly Hawk's Nest to keep you updated on important announcements and information regarding events, activities, and goings-on at Hansen. This August edition will be shorter than normal because you will receive a September edition in just a few weeks. Please pay close attention to dates, times, and locations of the many announcements and events that will come through in our Hawk's Nest each month.
The school year is almost here, Hawks! Let's fly together!
A Note from Mrs. Jones
I am really looking forward to meeting all of you and creating an amazing school year together. We have an incredible team of adults here at Hansen that are ready and excited to welcome our students into the building. Hansen is an incredible place- we are going to make this an awesome year!
Anytime you have questions, concerns, or a desire to serve our school in a particular way, please reach out to me via email. We will set up an appointment to sit down together and talk. My email is: [email protected]
Parent Square
At this point, we hope you all have received email notifications to sign up for Parent Square. This is the platform that our school will use for school communications. If you do not sign up for Parent Square, you will continue to receive notifications based upon your Skyward preferences.
However, please sign up. This platform is amazing. It will allow you to keep track of all school communications and it will allow you to update your Skyward information with ease.
Here is a link to sign up for Parent Square.
Here is a link to learn more about Parent Square through the district website.
New Playground Toy!
A HUGE thank you to our HCC/HAP and Olympia School District for the funding and support to get a new piece of playground equipment! We are so excited to have new equipment on the playground. The first week of school will be a time when we will train and teach the kids all about how to use this new playground equipment safely. As soon as the city inspects and gives us a "pass" for the new toy, we will be able to remove the orange fence and open it all up!
School Day Logistics
Hansen Daily Schedule
Hansen Elementary School hours are 8:30AM - 2:45PM daily. Wednesdays our dismissal time is 1:55PM. The exception is our first day of school (9.4). We dismiss at the 2:45PM time on the first day of school. Our doors open at 8:15AM, and all students will go directly to the gym. In the gym, students will sit in lines with their class- there will be signs posted where each class sits.
Breakfast After the Bell
Students will not enter the cafeteria for breakfast this year. This is because we are serving 'Breakfast After the Bell.' This is a federally funded program that offers free breakfast for all students in their classrooms. Students will be dismissed from the gym at 8:25am each morning to walk to their classrooms and pick up breakfast on the way to class. All student have this option, but it isn't required. All breakfast items will be hand-held and easy to carry to classrooms. This has been very successful at other schools in our district, and I am really excited to see it come to Hansen!
Morning Drop-Off
Students will enter the building through the side entrance near the gym (for car drop-off and walkers) and the back entrance under the playshed (for bus riders). If you are driving your student to school, please only have your child exit the car once you are up in the turnaround area. We do not want students walking through the parking lot for safety reasons. If you walk to school, please carefully follow the directions of the crossing guard, enter where the car parking lot is located, and stay on the sidewalks. Please do not walk through the bus entrance gates. This is unsafe as buses are entering and exiting.
If your student arrives after 8:30am, please have them buzz into the main office to receive a tardy slip. Attendance is critical for school success. This will be a major emphasis of the school this year. Every morning, every classroom will start the day with a morning meeting and breakfast at 8:30 AM. The purpose of this time is to build strong classroom communities and create a strong sense of belonging for our students. Being on-time will be critical to their involvement with morning classroom time. Thank you for everything you can do to get students in the doors prior to 8:30 AM.
If you are having trouble with on-time attendance, please don't hesitate to reach out for help. We can help if you are having a hard time getting her on time.
Afternoon Pickup
When you pick up your child by car, please follow traffic flow to right after entering the school parking lot. You will then enter the turnaround and proceed as far forward as possible. There will be multiple cones that students will stand at waiting for you. Adults will be with the students directing them to a specific cone as they see your car approaching. Please meet your student at the cone they are directed to. Please stay inside your car if you are in the pickup line. If you would like to get out of your car to pick up your student, please park in a designated spot and walk up to their pickup area.
All families will be given a placard to place in the windshield of your car if you pick up your student via the car lane. These placards will be handed out at our back to school night and sent home on the first day of school. Please write, in large legible letters, your child's first and last name on the placard. Please display this in your windshield as you are entering the pickup lane each afternoon. This will really help our pickup work efficiently.
Walkers
Any adult or students walking to and from school will need to follow the directions of our crossing guards. It is extremely important that no one walks through the bus loading area. If you are walking to drop off or pick up your student, please help guide and teach them to follow the sidewalks in the car entrance gate and wait for crossing guards to stop the parking lot traffic before crossing to the next sidewalk. At afternoon pickup, parents may wait in 1 of 2 designated waiting areas. One area is near the small preschool playground, and the other area is near the playshed area. Any students who are walking home on their own need to exit campus at dismissal. There is not supervision for students on the playgrounds without adults after school. Thank you for working together to keep all of our Hawks safe!
** If you have a dog with you when you are picking up your student, the dog must stay on leash at all times. Please do not allow your dog to approach other students. Dogs may not be off leash at any time during school or Ycare hours. Thank you so much for keeping all kids safe.
Really Important Information:
** Please click here for important and detailed information regarding school procedures.
Financial Assistance Available
The Olympia School District Educational Foundation provides support to families in need. with their support, we can help with:
- Rent and utility bills
- Clothing and shoes
- Eye exams and prescription glasses for students
- Transportation
- School supplies
- School-related expenses
- Internet through Xfinity and so much more...
We can also provide grocery vouchers to Ralph's or Bayview grocery stores and gas vouchers to help with transportation. Contact Principal Jones if you have questions. [email protected]
HCC/HAP News
Please join us every month for the HCC and HAP parent meetings. You will see a reminder in each month's newsletter about the meeting date and time.
Date: Tuesday, September 10th
Schedule:
- HCC @ 6pm
- Principal's Report @ 6:45pm
- HAP @ 7pm
Both HCC and HAP will hear the montly principal's report at 6:45pm. Please consider joining HCC and/or HAP. This is an excellent way for all community members to be a part of the wonderful things going on at Hansen!
Visit the HCC website here or email [email protected] to find out more information.
Welcome Table
When you come to our back-to-school night, be on the lookout for an HCC welcome table and a HAP welcome table. Each table will have representatives that can answer questions and direct you to your child's classroom if needed.
Additionally, each group will have a process (sign-up sheet/QR code) for you to offer your email/contact information if you choose. By giving your contact information, you will be on the group's email list to receive updates on events and other ways you can volunteer or meet needs of our school. Your information will only be used by our HCC/HAP board members for Hansen-specific information and will not be distributed elsewhere. Offering your contact information is entirely voluntary. Be sure to find them when you come!